Microsoft recently sold its 7.26 per cent stake in Comcast, in what is being seen as another burst of financial housekeeping ahead of tomorrow’s second quarter earnings report.
A US Securities and Exchange Commission filing, dated 16 January, disclosed that Microsoft no longer holds any Class A shares in the Philadelphia-based …

COMMENTS

Cost cutting...

They're not cutting costs they're offsetting losses

Comcast is one of the best-placed cable operators in the US. It's stock hasn't 'tumbled': it HAS fallen by 15 percent, but that's far less than most of it's competitors.

Microsoft sold these shares simply to cover their own losses - notably in online, Xbox and entertainment - and also in order to raise funds for the failed bid for Yahoo! Microsoft sacrificed a very valuable asset, and this decision (made at the height of the financial folly of last year) is simply another reflection of the inept management currently residing in redmond. 9 billion, they have, now - partly based on market value, which can change, of course. Remember when they had 45 billion? Around about 30-40 billion has bled out of that company, over just the last few years: now THAT's a story.

@Daniel...

Read that last part again... you know, where it says MS has $9 Billion IN CASH...

Reading again, MS has made roughly $2.2 Billion over 11-12 years or so just on this one investment, maybe even more depending on when they actually sold the shares. Not a bad investment by all accounts

Daniel.....

Once again you show your ignorance. If you look at the 2008 annual report, MS has $73BN of assets. And HED made a profit last year. I suggest you spend a little time learning how to read a company report before you make your next post.

The Comcast stock was bought at $1BN and sold at somewhere between $2BN and $3.4BN. That is a profit of somewhere between $1BN and $2.4BN..........